Only for you
by Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010
Summary: As Allen and company head out for a mission, some of Allen's friends discover a secret that he has purposefully kept hidden. Lenalee discovers why it is that she has fallen for the boy/enigma. Lavi reveals that he feels more about his friends than a Bookman apprentice should feel and Kanda discovers what true friendship is all about. Allen/Lenalee pairing
1. Beloved Memories

Komui assigned an assignment to the four individuals who had grown close save for one. The group was known as the four caballeros around the entire Black Order because they could almost always be seen together and the group consisted of Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, Yu Kanda, and Lavi Bookman Jr. The assignment they had been given was that they had to travel to Brazil to retrieve the Innocence and return it to the Black Order. They were currently on a train that would be taking them to the port where they would board a ship that would take about a week and a half to get to the port in Brazil. They would then go to the next town over and retrieve the Innocence from the finders. It would take about a day in a half to get to that town where they will spend the night and return to the ship the following morning. Everyone was looking forward to the trip…sort of. Kanda wanted to go it alone, but Komui insisted that the four of them go as he put it…there is only safety in numbers.

Lenalee was excited because she would be able to spend time with her three friends. They don't get to hang out that often. It has already been a year that Allen has joined the Black Order. Thankfully the issue with the Fourteenth had ceased to exist. After the battle with Tyki when Allen had come close to dying, Allen fought with Neah the spirit that inhabited Allen's body. Allen challenged Neah for the right to his own body. If Allen won the challenge, Neah would cease to exist as would the memories of the Fourteenth. If Neah won, he would take full control of Allen's body. Allen firmly instructed Lavi and Lenalee that should Neah overpower him and win, that he wanted them to kill him and his body immediately. Lenalee remembered that Allen required being unconscious to combat Neah. Komui helped with that. He placed Allen under a strong anesthetic and that enabled Allen to fight Neah in his head. Allen had been unconscious for three weeks, even though the fight took place in his head, the injuries sustained appeared on his body. Matron had no choice but to keep Allen on life support and restrained to the bed, because on more than one occasion Allen had become physically combative. When Allen had finally come to, the first thing he had done was begin hugging Lenalee and crying into her shoulder. The memory was always one that had touched her and brought tears to her eyes.

*FLASHBACK*

_ Lenalee had refused to leave Allen's side for those painstaking three weeks. She wanted to be the first thing Allen saw when he woke up to ensure him that he had in fact defeated Neah. Matron set up a cot beside Allen's bed so that Lenalee wouldn't be forced to sleep sitting up in a chair for the entire night. On one night in particular, Lenalee stayed awake. She and Lavi sat beside Allen's bedside talking and reminiscing about when they first met Allen. There were tears, and laughs that evening…but mostly tears. Tears of anger, joy, sorrow, but mostly tears of confusion. The two gazed at the somber face of Allen, he had appeared to be sound asleep, but one could see the toll this supposed battle with Neah was having on his body. Allen was covered in bruises, cuts and scrapes. He also had dark circles under his eyes and was breathing kind of heavy. At one point, Lenalee was sure Allen had passed away in his sleep, because his breathing had become incredibly shallow. She and Lavi each grabbed one of his hands and gave a firm, yet gentle squeeze in any way to reaffirm to Allen that they were there waiting for him to come back. They had not expected him to respond, as his prone form had not moved in almost three weeks. _

_ However, Lavi's sharp intake of breath brought Lenalee out of her deep thoughts and she looked at Lavi to find out why he had gasped. His face was so white, she was sure he had seen a ghost. His gaze had been directed to Allen's hand. It was then that Lenalee felt what Lavi must have felt as well. It was Allen's steady grip in response to them holding his hands. The two friends looked up at Allen's face to see tears shimmering in the moonlight. As the tears streamed down his face, Allen's eyes opened. The open eyes revealed the beautiful blue-silver eyes that only Allen could have possessed, instead of the feared golden tawny eye color. _

_ "Lena…lee…" Allen had spoken the first word that would be the start of many in the countless years to come._

_ "Allen?" Lenalee felt unsure if she was speaking to Allen or Neah, as Neah knew who she was as well. But the look that Allen had given her had reassured her that the boy she was speaking to was none other than Allen Walker. _

_ "I…I…I…did…it…Lena…lee." Allen had spoken in such a tired voice. One could tell he was exhausted from the three week battle that he had been involved in._

_ "Oh…Allen!" Lenalee hugged Allen briefly, before pulling away mindful of his wounds. However, Allen's hold on her just tightened as he refused to allow her to pull away. He buried his face in her shoulder and began to cry. Lavi looked at his two best friends in a lover's embrace. Allen's quivering shoulders the only tell-tale sign that he was crying, that and the hiccupping breaths he managed to inhale. Lenalee couldn't help but to cry with him. She was so relieved that the boy she loved was okay and back at home with her and their friends._

_ Pulling back from the hug, Allen observed Lenalee at arm's length. Lenalee had dark circles under her eyes which signified to Allen that Lenalee hadn't had a proper night's sleep since before he fought Neah. _

_ "Have you slept at all since I was unconscious?" Allen questioned._

_ "Yes and no. I would try to sleep, but could only sleep maybe two to three hours at a time." Lenalee smiled sheepishly at Allen._

_ "Please go to sleep now Lenalee. Your brother would kill me if anything happened to you. Then the fight with Neah would have been in vain." Allen said as he placed his hand in front of his mouth to stifle a yawn._

_ "Okay Allen. But only for you. Would it be alright if I lay with you?, I am afraid I won't sleep if I don't have the reassurance that you are back." Lenalee gave Allen her most brilliant smile she could muster. Allen agreed and Lenalee crawled on the bed, then she placed her head on Allen's shoulder and promptly fell asleep. Lavi stood up to grab a spare blanket off one of the other hospital beds and draped it over Allen and Lenalee._

_ Allen looked at the sleeping beauty in his arms, and wrapped his arms tighter around her shoulders, and looked at Lavi. Fighting a blush, Allen convinced Lavi to go lay on the cot beside his bed._

_ After Lavi agreed and crawled on the bed, he lay down and was out like a light. Smiling and chuckling softly, Allen chanced a glance back at Lenalee. A blush worked its way back to his cheeks. Looking around briefly to make sure nobody was watching, Allen leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Lenalee's forehead. _

_ "Only for you Lenalee, only for you." Allen whispered. With that Allen placed his head atop of Lenalee's and fell into a deep slumber. The two hugged in their sleep as the love they felt for one another began to blossom._

*END FLASHBACK*

Lenalee gazed over at Allen, in the orange glow of the rising sun Allen had never looked quite at peace as he was currently. Allen was leaned back in the corner of the coach room with his arms crossed across his chest. His legs were still crossed as he had fallen asleep talking to Lavi the night prior and had not moved throughout the night. Lenalee was positive that Allen would not be walking normal for at least twenty minutes as his leg would undoubtedly be asleep. Soft snores came from the slumbering boy.

Lavi who had fallen asleep at some point woke up with a sigh. He looked around and found that Kanda had just woken up himself. They both looked over at Lenalee to see her in a daydream and Allen who looked to be completely dead to the world. Lavi grinned and stood to stretch. Lenalee woke up from her daydream and looked at both Kanda and Lavi. They were watching her and Lavi crouched down in front of Lenalee.

"Hey, Lena-lady. I am going to go to the breakfast train to get something…do you want anything?" Lavi grinned at Lenalee to show that he really was going to get food, and not just try to leave the two of them alone together.

"Yeah, could you just get me a blue-berry muffin and a coffee?" Lenalee requested.

"Sure thing Lena-lady. I should be back in about 30 minutes. Will that be okay?" Lavi reassured her that he would not be gone for the rest of the trip, just a half an hour.

Lenalee just nodded her consent and Lavi motioned for Kanda to follow him from their room.

After the two left, Lenalee was left with her thoughts and Allen who was sound asleep. Lenalee was surprised that Allen was still sleeping so soundly. She guessed he was still tired from the walk they took to get to the train station. It was a four day journey on foot with breaks included and due to Kanda's overbearing nature they made it in two days instead. Allen hadn't appeared quite as tired as one might assume he must have been. After another ten minutes, Allen began to stir. Blue-silver eyes opened to reveal sleep laden eyes. Allen yawned and stretched. Directing his gaze at Lenalee, he managed to mumble a "good morning" before uncrossing his leg and stretching it out before going back to sleep.

Allen slept the remainder of the trip, which was an additional 2 ½ hours. Upon feeling the train comes to a halt, Allen woke up and stood to grab his satchel. After disembarking the train the group fell into step together as they walked a few miles to the port where they would board the ship for the week in a half journey to brazil. After boarding the ship, the friends went to their rooms. Thankfully the order was able to afford an individual room for each member. After getting their stuff set up in their rooms they all decided to relax in their rooms until the dinner bell rang.


	2. Sick as a dog

ALLEN POV

I sat down at the desk that was situated in the corner of the room. This was not the first time I had been on a ship, but I knew it would not be pleasant. When I used to travel with General Cross, I suffered from vertigo whenever boarding a ship. I had never actually thrown up while on a ship, I just became incredibly dizzy and couldn't ever sleep. The longest I had ever been on a ship was probably 2 ½ days, but this was going to be a week and a half. However, I was not about to tell my friends that. If I did throw up, I didn't want my friends there to see me. There was no guarantee that I was going to dinner either. If I do go, I know I will only be ordering something that will sit gently in my stomach. Not the large amounts of food I usually eat back at home.

As I sat at my desk, I felt the vertigo begin. The ship had started moving about an hour prior, and if I could help it I was going to keep myself confined to my room for the entirety of the trip. The unfortunate aspect is that there was no bathroom joined to the room. If you were going to get sick, you had best be able hold your nausea until you could run down the hall to the bathroom or the quicker option…the banister rail on the deck which was just right outside his room. Allen however was going to try not to get sick, but sometimes it doesn't always work.

"I suppose I could lie down for a few minutes, it's not like my vertigo will get any worse." Allen mumbled to himself, before lying down on his bed and rested his arm over his eyes.

Thirty minutes passed and the motion of the ship combined with Allen's vertigo was not helping his stomach. If anything it only made Allen feel even more miserable than he had on the train. That's right…Allen suffered from motion sickness, thus the reason he slept so much on the train. His vertigo has a tendency to make him incredibly tired. A knock on the door woke Allen from his stupor. Standing up, he slowly made his way to the door…that is before locating the waist-basket. He was feeling really lousy and he now had no doubt in his mind that he would be unable to keep any form of nourishment down for the entirety of this trip.

Opening the door, I was met with Lavi's green-eyed gaze and Kanda's scowl. I held onto the door frame, to steady myself.

"What's up?" Allen was attempting to sound really natural. He didn't want his friends to know how bad he was feeling.

"Hey, dude…We are going to go get some dinner. Come on! Lenalee is already there to save some seats for us." Lavi said.

Swallowing the building saliva down, I managed to speak quietly. I didn't want to speak to loudly, to be quite honest I didn't want to speak at all.

"Uh, why don't you guys go ahead and head down. I am still kind of tired. I will be down in a little while." I was trying to get my friends away from me…I knew that if I set foot in the cafeteria I would undoubtedly blow chunks. I didn't want to make them pity me, because I purposely forgot to tell them I suffered from motion sickness.

"Dude, are you alright? You don't look so good." Lavi looked at me closely. I took a deep breath to try to tame the mounting nausea. I really wanted to go lie down again…or hang over my waist basket.

"I'm fine…just still tired." I tried to reassure Lavi that I was feeling fine, but I could see that he was beginning to perceive why I didn't want to go anywhere right now.

"Okay…well…if you are sure. Is there anything you want from the cafeteria?" Lavi asked.

The mere mention of food was slowly breaking down the wall I had built to with-holding my nausea. I shook my head and plastered a fake grin on my face. I didn't trust myself to speak. Sure enough if I opened my mouth I would spew all over both Lavi and Kanda.

After seeing Lavi and Kanda off, I closed my door and grabbed the waist-basket and set it by my bed. I sat with my back facing the door in case anybody opened my door, then they would not have to see my actually becoming sick. They would just see my back heaving and hear me. I knew what was coming, so I untied the ribbon around my neck, and gathered my shaggy hair back and tied it with the ribbon.

*WITH KANDA, LENALEE, AND LAVI*

"What do you mean he refused dinner?" Lenalee looked at her other two companions. She was stunned when Lavi and Kanda appeared sans Allen. Lavi sat down with his food, and Lenalee immediately started questioning him. She didn't bother asking Kanda, because she knew he could care less.

"Just that Lenalee. When we showed up at his door, Allen refused to leave. He said he was still tired. But he said he would come down in 30 minutes…that was 10 minutes ago. So if he is not here in the next 20 minutes you and I can go see if he is still coming down. Yu can stay here, and hold our seats for a few more minutes. Then if we don't return Yu can go back to his room." Lavi said. He didn't miss the death glare from Kanda when he called him Yu, but his thoughts were more focused on Allen.

Lavi didn't want to voice his suspicions to Kanda and Lenalee, but he had a feeling that Allen was ill. By just looking at Allen a few minutes prior, he could see that Allen had a more ashen appearance. Not only that, but he couldn't help but notice that Allen was trying to distance himself from he and Kanda, possibly to avoid losing his cool.

After they finished their dinner, Lenalee and Lavi decided that they had waited around long enough. They even waited an extra 10 minutes and Allen had yet to surface. Lenalee was looking around with an apprehensive gaze and Lavi didn't blame her. It was unusual for Allen to actually refuse to eat. He was the human garbage disposal. He had to eat to keep up his strength, and for him to turn down food was mildly alarming.

Upon standing, Lenalee asked Kanda to stay for a few more minutes, but if they didn't come back in 10 more minutes that he could return to his own bedroom. Standing straight, Lavi and Lenalee made their way to the sleeping quarters. As they approached the room they got real quiet. Lavi stepped up and placed his ear against the door. Listening for any sign that Allen was still in there. He heard coughing and that was pretty much it.

*WITH ALLEN*

I sat on the side of my bed, with the waist-basket positioned between my feet. I had already tied my hair back so I wouldn't get vomit it my hair. I had also fished my handkerchief from my pocket and sat their trying to will away the nausea. I took off my jacket a few minutes prior, and was now just sitting there. I already knew I would be found out eventually. Lavi's analyzing gaze could spot any malady, and Allen turning down food, was the red flag.

He caught himself in a heave. Bending slightly at the waist he released his pent up nausea. After a heave or two he began to cough. Spitting into the waist-basket he heard a faint knock. Looking up at the ceiling as if to beg any God that might be up there to make the person knocking leave, he felt his stomach roll again and he bent at the waist again against his better judgment.

*WITH LAVI AND LENALEE*

I was still leaning against the door listening for any sign that Allen was present besides that cough. I could have sworn I had heard gagging and vomiting, but I was not positive. Knocking lightly, I heard the bed groan like someone was resting on it. I was positive that time. I heard someone heaving…damn. Looking over at Lenalee, I prepared myself for the possibility that Allen would refuse to come to the door. If he was sick, he might just ignore the knock. If that was the case I would just open the door and poke my head in to see if Allen was alright. I wouldn't let Lenalee in to see Allen.

The door opened and there stood a very ashen Allen. He had a tight hold on to the door. The first thing I noticed was his lack of neck tie. I took notice that it was what his hair had been tied back with. So I was right. Allen was in fact sick. He was clutching his handkerchief in the other hand, and was putting most of his weight against the door. I could tell he wasn't feeling all that great. However, to be a jerk, I was going to see how he reacted to the mention of food.

"Hey Allen, we were just stopping by to see if you got the rest you wanted. You know you missed out on dinner. Kanda is still there holding our seats if you want to head down. It was pretty good. As far as ship food goes. It was something akin to the American thanksgiving foodstuffs. You know turkey, ham, stuffing and gravy. Then your choice of…"

The door was slammed shut in our faces, and Lenalee and I shared a worried glance. Never had Allen been so rude before. Normally he would just excuse himself and leave, but this time he had slammed the door in our face. I leaned against the door again and placed my ear in almost the same place I had earlier. I could hear him actually vomiting. Not just dry heaving or gagging. I spared a glance at Lenalee. She showed the concern she felt for Allen on her face.

"Do you hear anything Lavi?" Lenalee asked with that curiously concerned tone she had mastered.

"Yeah, Allen is puking. That would be the only reason that he would slam the door in our face at the mention of food." Lavi relied that Allen was currently sick, but not the extent that he was hearing it.

*WITH ALLEN*

I felt bad about slamming the door in their face, but the moment that Lavi started describing the food that was for dinner I felt my stomach tighten up and I knew that I was going to be sick again. I ran to the waist-basket near the foot of my bed and dropped to my knees. Leaning into the waist-basket, I just opened my mouth and there it was. I felt myself becoming disoriented, so I grabbed ahold of the bed frame and clutched at it. I also held on to the waist-basket. After the initial vomiting passed I was able to pull back to rest on my knees. I wiped at my mouth with the handkerchief and leaned over to spit some of the foul taste from my mouth. Panting, I went to stand up again. After I gained my bearings (somewhat) I returned to the door and opened it. Lavi and Lenalee were still standing there. I averted my gaze from them ashamed that I had been so rude…but personally I would rather be rude than indecent and vomit down the front of my two best friends.

"Are you okay Allen?" Lenalee shot me a pitiful gaze, and it made me feel terrible.

"Yeah, I'm fine Lenalee." I tried to reassure Lenalee and Lavi that I was okay, but even I couldn't be convinced.

"I am not so sure buddy. The moment I began describing dinner, you fled the scene. You are sick are you not?" Lavi leveled me a 'Don't-even-begin-to-lie-to-me' look. I cast my gaze down to my feet. I knew I had been caught. But can you really blame me? I have a lot of pride and for someone to know that I am physically incapable of withstanding motion is humiliating.

I opened my mouth to speak and felt my stomach roll violently. Gagging, I began to back away effectively shutting my mouth. Closing my eyes, I muttered a "P-Please excuse m…!" as quick as I could. I covered my mouth gagging again and turned sharply from the door, I don't remember shutting the door…all I remember was running to the waist-basket again.

"ALLEN!" Lenalee shouted.

Lavi and Lenalee ran in to Allen's room and found him kneeling in front of the waist-basket. He had it partially hidden from view around the side of the bed. All the two individuals could see was their white haired friend clutching the bed frame, and his back which appeared to be heaving. Not only that, but they could hear him. He gagged roughly and coughed. They then could see and hear him vomiting. Lavi could tell he was trying to restrain himself. He stepped forward and placed his hand on Allen's back. Lifting his head out of the waist-basket he dry heaved twice before lowering his head back in to surrender to his illness again. He clutched at his stomach before dry heaving again and spitting that horrible taste out of his mouth. He then leaned back on his knees again and panted for air. He grabbed his handkerchief from his pocket again and wiped it across his mouth.

I felt a hand resting on my shoulder and I turned my head panting slightly to see Lavi crouched behind me. I also caught a glimpse of Lenalee sitting at my desk fiddling with the hem of her skirt. I felt bad that they had to see my display of weakness and humiliation. I tried to keep it at bay I really did. Lowering my head in shame, tears of embarrassment slowly made their way to my eyes. I refused to cry in front of my friends…not after that weak display my motion sickness caused. I pushed back on the bed, and rose into a stand. I stood there with my handkerchief in front of my mouth. In the event my stomach flopped angrily again I would at least have something blocking my mouth. Maybe I could contain what little dignity I had left.

"Hey, dude…you doing better? I don't think I have ever seen someone quite as sick as you are currently." Lavi said.

I didn't think I could speak very well…due to the heaving straining my vocal cords. So my response was just a simple nod and grunt of acknowledgement. I kept my gaze directed at the ground. I didn't want to make eye contact with my friends. I was feeling down right smaller than an amoeba after being embarrassed by my getting sick in front of them.

"Allen, is this the first time you have gotten sick on a ship…or are you normally okay when travelling?" Lenalee asked with that curious concern that she has used with me before, after I have been injured on a mission.

I had no choice but to answer honestly, there was no way I could lie to them.

"Yes, this is the first time I have become sick on a ship; normally all I experience is just some minor vertigo. But I think the long hike coupled with the train and carriage ride to the ship port just intensified my vertigo and exacerbated it. Normally the vertigo I experience just makes me real tired, so that was why I slept so much on the train. I figured that if I got a little extra sleep the vertigo would right itself, but not long after we boarded the ship and retired to our rooms I began feeling miserable." I still wouldn't look at them. I felt so ashamed.

Lavi directed me to the edge of the bed and pushed gently on my shoulders to get me to sit down. I could feel my knees shaking uncontrollably. It was probably a good idea that I sit, instead of collapse and make an even bigger embarrassment of myself. All I could do was count my blessings that Kanda was not present at the current time. I already felt miserable, and didn't need him breathing down my neck either.

"Do you want anything from the cafeteria? Possibly tea and crackers?" Lenalee asked in an inquisitive tone.

I felt my stomach roll at the mention of tea and crackers, and I replaced my handkerchief back in front of my mouth until the immediate nausea passed. I was beginning to sweat, and my mouth was beginning to salivate more. I knew I didn't have very long until I began spewing my guts up again, so might as well answer Lenalee so that she and Lavi would leave so I could forfeit the remaining contents of my stomach in peace

"Sure, there is no guarantee that it will stay down, but crackers might settle my stomach long enough for me to get some more sleep." Allen said. In truth he really didn't want anything. But he knew that if he turned down her offer, Lavi would have him hauled to the infirmary on the ship and he was NOT going there.

Lenalee left the room not long after Allen gave his consent. But the moment Lenalee left Allen who had forgotten Lavi was still present, withered on the spot. Lavi had been standing off in the corner of Allen's room observing the boy who he thought of as a younger brother. He watched as Allen grabbed the waist-basket and placed it between his feet. Allen leaned over and began coughing again. Allen tried to restrain the heaves, but unfortunately there was no real way to tame the untamed. Allen threaded his hands into his hair and began vomiting again. Lavi couldn't help but to wince and notice how sick Allen was really feeling. He could see that Allen was not purposefully purging. The poor guy was currently holding his bangs away from his face, as they were too short to be held by the ribbon holding back his hair. After the initial vomiting had again ended, Allen began to spit that god-awful taste from his mouth. It was about that time, that a near-silent knock sounded. Allen who was currently trying to restrain another bout of vomiting hadn't even heard the knock. Lavi could see that Allen didn't notice his presence any more than he noticed Lenalee's. Lavi took the liberty and opened the door, and Lenalee entered. After giving Allen a single cracker and a ginger tea, Lenalee departed.

"I hope you don't mind, but I was thinking of staying in here to take care of you for a few hours. Lenalee and I kind of agreed that since we don't have anything to do on this ship we might as well help you try to get over your motion sickness." Lavi said to the near silent boy.

"Are you sure you want to subject yourself to seeing me like this? I can pretty much guarantee you that I won't be sleeping tonight. If anything I will probably spend my time tossing my cookies. I don't want to keep you awake, when there is nothing I can do to halt the negative effects of my motion sickness." Allen shifted his gaze over to the red haired boy sitting at his desk.

"Yeah I am sure. I know there is not much anyone can do to stop motion sickness, unless you count not travelling a cure. I just feel bad that I didn't know how bad you were feeling. If we had known then maybe Komui would have given you something like a sedative to tame your illness." Lavi said in a joking tone.

"You know, even I wouldn't trust Komui to give me medication. I think I would rather be puking and miserable than possibly grow a second pair of eyes." Allen chuckled lightly and started nibbling on a cracker. He was testing how his stomach would take the intrusion of food.

"Yeah I guess you are right. I think I would join you there." Lavi said jokingly. He observed Allen lightly chewing on the cracker Lenalee has given him, but he hadn't even tasted the tea. Even Lavi had to admit that it didn't smell that great.

After finishing the one cracker, Allen gazed at the teacup sitting on the nightstand. He really didn't want to put anything more in his stomach, as he felt that would only make him sicker, especially judging on the smell of the tea.

"You should probably drink that tea you know. Its ginger…ginger can help to soothe an upset stomach." Lavi pointed out. He grinned softly upon seeing Allen wrinkle his nose at the prospect of drinking the nasty smelling tea.

"To be perfectly honest, I would rather not test fate. I have already embarrassed myself enough in front of two of my best friends; I don't think I should make another big spectacle of myself." Allen looked at Lavi and leveled him a serious stare.

"Hey now, don't do that. Yes it is and can be embarrassing to blow chunks in front of someone, but it is not something you can avoid when you are sick. Even I myself would prefer nobody see when I am sick. But we are friends. You are like a little brother to me, and I can't stand seeing you miserable and alone. So you had better put your pride aside, because both Lenalee and I have seen and are going to continue seeing you and your technicolor yawn for the remainder of this trip. You can trust us. We won't look at you any differently because of what we have seen. I realize it is not pleasant, but friends help friends; especially when they are sick." Lavi said looking at Allen as the ill boy lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Alright fine, I will drink some of the tea, but if I get sick again I am blaming you." Allen said in mock seriousness.

Allen knew he had to drink something. If he became dehydrated he would be useless until he felt better. That wouldn't help very much if they were attacked by an akuma. So with a slight roll of the eyes, he grabbed the teacup and took a small sip and choked back the liquid. After ten minutes passed and Allen had not surrendered to his condition, Allen took it that maybe the ginger helped tame his sickness. Looking at Lavi, he grinned before standing and crossing the room to his satchel. Reaching in, he retrieved his pajamas and his toothbrush. He left the room after letting Lavi know where he was going. Heading down the hall to the restroom, Allen ran into Kanda.

Rolling his eyes, Allen apologized when Kanda growled 'moyashi' and they parted ways. Allen slid into the single toilet lavatory and locked the door. After getting changed and brushing his teeth of the foul taste Allen returned to his room. He didn't fail to notice that there was a fresh bag in the waist-basket or that Lavi was in his sleep clothes either. Allen kept his tie in his hair, and decided that he would attempt to sleep. He might as well, while his stomach was settled for the time being. Lying down on the bed, Allen turned on his side and immediately fell asleep. Lavi looked up from the book he had brought when he noticed the shallow breathing coming from his friend. Grinning he laid down on the pallet on the floor and proceeded to go to sleep himself.

Allen slept for about 2 ½ hours before he woke up from his stomach flipping painfully. Grimacing, he sat up on the side of the bed and absently rubbed his stomach. He was going to try to hold back as much as he could. He looked over at Lavi…he was sound asleep and Allen would have felt terrible waking him up with those atrocious noises he was making earlier. His mind made up, Allen stood and made his way slowly around Lavi's sleeping form and out to the hall. Allen made his way to the restroom down the hall. He felt he could make it without losing it right there in the hallway. Upon getting there he was relieved to find the bathroom unoccupied.

Stepping inside, he flipped the light switch and locked the door. The last thing he needed was somebody he didn't know stepping in thinking the restroom was without an occupant and find him sicker than a dog. Kneeling before the toilet, he surrendered to his illness in a matter of heaves. Unfortunately he forgot to take in to account that within two hours of sleep that tie he had holding his hair back might have come undone. So instead of just gripping the porcelain bowl, he wound up holding his own hair back out of his face and clutching onto the bowl. After the primary illness passed, Allen sat there a few more minutes dry heaving. Flushing the toilet, he made his way to the sink and rinsed his mouth out.

Making his way back to his room, he took notice that the moon was full and the waters were calm. There was not a soul on the deck, and Allen relished in the cool breeze that caressed his face. The sea sickness only made him feel hot and the breeze was a pleasant change. Turning from the banister rail, Allen made his way back to his room. Upon entering, he found Lavi sitting up leaning against the wall. Allen wondered how long he had been up, because when he had left for the restroom a half hour prior Lavi was sound asleep.

"Hey buddy, you feeling alright?" Lavi looked up at Allen when he returned.

"I've been better, but I suppose I feel well as compared to how I felt earlier." Allen grinned sheepishly.

"You know you didn't have to leave if you weren't feeling good. I am a pretty heavy sleeper, so I doubt I would have stirred at your heaving." Lavi looked at him with a playful grin of his own.

Allen redirected his gaze to the floor, embarrassed that he had been caught. Lavi was staying with him to keep an eye on him, but Allen would have felt bad if he had woken Lavi up with his rib breaking coughs.

"I don't know about that. The sounds I was making earlier sounded pretty atrocious even to my ears and I was the one making them." Allen looked at Lavi again.

"It's okay you know. I already know you are not feeling at your best and don't forget, I have already heard you hurling from earlier. It won't bother me if you get sick here in your room. Just because I am here don't mean you need to slink off to get sick. Just trust me and stay here. If you would prefer I cover my ears when you puke, I can do that…but if the sound is what has got you embarrassed then no sweat because I am not fazed by it."

"Okay, I get your point Lavi. It's just an old habit from when I lived with Cross. He always said that if I was sick he didn't want to know. So hiding is just a habit of mine." Allen sat down on his bed again and lay on his side facing Lavi.

"Well, since you are back. Why don't we go back to sleep. Maybe you will feel better in the morning. Maybe all you needed was some sleep to get over the initial seasickness." Lavi suggested as he lay down as well.

"Okay." Allen surrendered. He had to admit that he was still pretty tired, but he was afraid that he might make himself sick again if he dreamt of anything with motion. Almost as if he could read Allen's mind, Lavi spoke up before going back to sleep.

"Hey Allen, if you wake up at all during the night, don't worry about staying here. It won't bother me if you wake me up because you are sick. Okay buddy?"

"Yeah, I promise." Allen slowly felt himself falling back into the realm of dreams, and before he knew it he was sound asleep.

Lavi stayed awake for a few more minutes and took notice that Allen's hair was no longer tied back. He knew Allen would hate him for what he was about to do, but he knew it would be a help to the ill boy. Grabbing the ribbon from the floor, he sat on the side of the bed and gathered Allen's hair and began what he does to annoy Kanda. Lavi began braiding his hair. However to offer some additional help he pulled Allen's bangs into the braid as well. After securing the braid with Allen's neck tie, Lavi returned to his bed on the floor. Lying down, Lavi took one last look at his friend and closed his eyes to return to a restful night's sleep.

Both friends woke up a few hours later. One boy rousing because it was his usual time waking. The other boy rousing because his stomach began to roll painfully again. Opening his eyes, he released a weak groan. Lavi crouched in front of the bed to look at Allen.

"Hey Allen, how are you feeling? Any better than yesterday?"

"Oh god, no. My stomach is killing me. If anything I feel worse than I did yesterday." Sitting up, Allen paled as he placed his hand in front of his mouth. Lavi grabbed the waist-basket when Allen gave a slight heave. Placing it in front of the sick boy, Lavi sat next to Allen on the bed and began to rub Allen's back as he leaned over starting the whole seasick process again. He took notice that Allen was attempting to push his bangs back off his face, not realizing that there were no bangs to push back. He grinned half-heartedly at the habit Allen had formed. He took notice that Allen had stopped heaving and was sitting up normally albeit a little slumped.

"Thank you for holding my hair back. You know you didn't have to. I can handle myself even while I am sick." Allen said before leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. This was about the only comfortable position for his stomach.

"I didn't hold your hair back. I…uh…braided it last night after you fell asleep. I noticed your hair tie had come out when you left last night. That is what woke me up honestly. Your ribbon fell on my arm. I sat up to find you gone and your ribbon lying on the floor. So I took the liberty of tying your hair back in case you woke up again because of your stomach." Lavi grinned sheepishly.

Allen chuckled lightly before redirecting his pitiful gaze at Lavi, not wishing to look into the waist-basket any longer than he had to.

"And where pray tell did you learn to braid hair Lavi?"

"I used to have long hair when I was a child. I refused to allow gramps to cut my hair when I was growing up, so I learned to braid my hair. It was only after it got cut by one of Komui's robots that I had short hair." Lavi smiled ear to ear at Allen.

A light knock on the door broke into their conversation. Lavi stood up and went to answer the door. He was decent, as his pajamas consisted of a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans. Allen was wearing a pair of black slacks and a light cotton pull over. He turned to make sure Allen wasn't about to hurl again…if that was the case he would step out in the hall and converse if that would make Allen feel more comfortable.

Allen was sitting with one hand resting on his forehead and the other draped languidly across his lap. Allen had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply. It appeared to Lavi that Allen was trying to fight off the nausea, but still asked if he felt up to company. A deft nod of the head gave Lavi the okay to open the door to whoever was outside. Upon opening the door, Kanda stood there. His eyes showed that he was surprised to see Lavi answer the door and not Allen, as this was Allen's room not Lavi's. His face carried the same scowl that was Kanda's trademark look.

"Hey, Lenalee asked me to come get you for breakfast. So are you coming with or what? Grab the moyashi and let's go." Kanda ignored the groan that left Allen's throat. Lavi knew that Allen was groaning for two reasons. One because Kanda was at his door and the other because he was not likely to be hungry after having just vomited again. However Lavi was going to try to hide Allen's condition from Kanda, knowing that Allen would feel more miserable than he was already feeling if Kanda started snapping at him.

"Yeah, let's go. Allen actually just got back from the cafeteria, so I am sure he is not hungry right now." Lavi lied smoothly to Kanda.

Kanda just nodded at him and Lavi followed closing the door. Allen was surprised that Lavi had just told a bold faced lie to Kanda. Unbeknownst to both guys though, Kanda had in fact noticed that Allen was not dressed for the day. He also took notice that Allen's hair was tied back in a style that was unusual. People may think that Kanda was stupid because he stayed quiet, but Kanda prided himself on his keen observant nature.

About thirty minutes in the cafeteria passed and Lavi rose to go return his tray to the kitchen staff. He made the excuse to Lenalee and Kanda that he was going to get some tea, and asked if they wanted anything. This piqued Kanda's interest primarily because Lavi is not a huge fan of tea. Sure he will drink it, but he didn't love it. So why he would even get it in the first place was odd.

Upon leaving the cafeteria, Kanda cornered Lavi.

"Okay, big-shot. What is up with you?" Kanda questioned.

"I have no idea what you mean." Lavi answered back coolly. He had a suspicion that Kanda was beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together concerning Allen.

"I stopped by your room last night. You were not there. Then I encountered that moyashi on my way back from your room." Kanda leveled an icy glare at Lavi.

"Why would you be stopping by my room? I was under the impression that you didn't want to be associated with me or anybody else when we were on a group mission." Lavi replied back.

"I was going to discuss the matter of us splitting up into groups of two when we reached the port. Komui contacted me via golem last night. He said Allen wasn't answering his golem for some reason, and he informed me that there are some meddlesome akuma in the area of the port, but that he wanted us to split up. He wanted you and Allen to stay near the port and fight the akuma while he wanted me and Lenalee to go and retrieve the innocence."

"Hmm, I have no idea why Allen wouldn't have been answering his golem. He may have been asleep. I mean you heard him last night he was still pretty tired from the traveling earlier." Lavi in reality knew that Allen was ignoring his golem for an entirely different reason and not just because he was sleeping. But he was not about to tell Kanda why.

"Would you quit being difficult? I know that tea is for Allen…I also know that he did not go out for breakfast this morning like you said." Kanda shot Lavi an unimpressed gaze.

"What? You know I got this tea for myself. I know I don't always feel like drinking tea, but Lenalee convinced me to try some last night. She had some and thought it might change my tune on the flavor of some teas. I admit it is pretty tasty. It is better than that oolong tea that the cafeteria at home serves." Lavi lied smoothly.

"Well, whatever the case. When we get close to port I want to have a group meeting. We need to discuss where we will rendezvous after we have completed our objectives." Kanda said with his usual scowl set into place. Turning to leave, he bid his comrade farewell until evening.

Standing in the same location where he had originally stopped, Lavi waited until he heard Kanda shut his bedroom door, before turning and heading in the direction of Allen's room. That was a close call on his part. Upon making it to Allen's room he leaned up to the door and listened for any sign that Allen was unwell. He didn't hear anything, so he felt it safe to knock and enter.

Opening Allen's door revealed a surprise to Lavi. It was quite funny to see as well. Allen had fallen asleep again and this time on his stomach. He was clutching his pillow in his arms and was muttering in his sleep. Something about Mana his adopted father getting him a red balloon. Lavi grinned, before making his way over to Allen's bedside. He set the teacup on the nightstand and tightened the ribbon in Allen's hair. It wouldn't do if the braid came out and became inconvenient to the ill boy.


	3. What is love?

Lavi hung around in Allen's bedroom waiting for his unfortunately seasick friend to awaken. Lenalee had stopped by earlier to inform Lavi that she went and talked to the nurse in the ship's infirmary about possible methods to knock Allen's sickness down a few pegs. The nurse had said that Allen should go out on the deck to get some air, not only that but to try to look at the horizon on the ocean.

Lenalee went down to the cafeteria to get some soup for Allen, in hopes that it would settle his stomach. If he was sleeping then maybe that meant that his stomach was easing off on the constant heaving. The two friends hoped it would work, because they hated seeing Allen so ill. Lavi contemplated having Lenalee stay with Allen, but decided against it because he had already seen Allen at his worst and if he woke up sick again he figured it wouldn't be fair to subject Lenalee to that. Not only that but he could tell that Allen had been ashamed to throw up in front of the girl.

Lavi walked around the sleeping quarters looking at anything and everything. Eventually he stepped up to the window and peered outside. He could see where the ocean met the sky on the horizon and could tell the time of day judging on the position of the sun. It was about three in the afternoon, and Allen had been asleep most of the morning and afternoon. Allen only woke up long enough to drink the then cold ginger tea and go back to sleep. Allen had so far not thrown up any more than he had earlier that morning. Lavi turned around when he heard Allen stir, and noticed Allen sitting up rubbing his right eye.

"Hey Allen, are you feeling okay?" Lavi's analyzing gaze swept over Allen to try to identify any hints that Allen would be unwell any time soon.

Allen looked around as if he had forgotten where he was, and settled his gaze on Lavi, before nodding softly. Allen stood from his bed and stretched. He couldn't ever remember a time where he had slept so much. Lavi walked over to Allen to get a closer look at Allen. There was no added pallor to his skin, no sweat beading on his forehead or no excessive swallowing which would indicate an increase in saliva build up…so far it appeared that Allen was fine, but anything could happen too.

"Well my stomach is a little sore, but I think that was from all the heaving yesterday. So far I feel fine albeit a little dizzy." Allen sat back on his bed and faced Lavi.

"That's good. Hopefully that means that your seasickness has subsided for the most part." Lavi grinned at Allen.

"I hope so. I hate puking and it is so embarrassing. I feel bad that you and Lenalee even had to see that last night." Allen looked away sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey Allen, how come you didn't tell me you suffered from seasickness? I mean I probably could have asked the old panda for remedies to help you fight it if I had known ahead of time." Lavi questioned Allen genuinely.

"I didn't tell you because this is the first time I have ever actually thrown up on a ship. Like I told you last night, normally I just deal with vertigo but this time for some reason the sickness was worse." Allen looked at Lavi dead in the eye to prove to his fiery haired friend that he was in fact telling the truth.

"That is weird…maybe it was as you thought. The traveling on the carriage and train just made it worse. That could be the only reasonable explanation. I mean when you travelled with Cross, I am sure you two walked a majority of the time. Right?" Lavi asked Allen.

"Yeah, that has to be what it was. I had hoped the vertigo I had when I was younger would become non-existent. I mean, you should be able to outgrow motion sickness, not grow into it." Allen said whilst rolling his eyes.

Chuckling Lavi patted Allen on the back.

"That is true buddy, but not everyone is so fortunate." Lavi stood up when he heard a knock at the door and strode over to answer it.

"I hope that is not Kanda again, the less people who know of this the better." Allen buried his head in his hands.

"No it's not Kanda. It's Lenalee, I sent her to go get you some soup before you woke up. They must have made it fresh because it took her awhile to return." Lavi said before opening the door.

Lenalee stepped in and looked around as if expecting Allen to have his head buried in the waist-basket again. After not hearing anything Lenalee redirected her gaze at Allen who was sitting on his bed. Upon seeing Allen lift his head and turn to meet Lenalee's gaze a blush spread across her cheeks. Sure she had seen Allen sick before, but never in his pajamas. The last time he had been sick they had been on a mission together and it was a head cold. He didn't let a fever or cough dictate how he was going to fight the akuma. She didn't know why it embarrassed her so much. Most sick people lounged around in their sleepwear. It must have been because he didn't look sick that it embarrassed her. Not only that but his pajamas just looked like casual dress clothes.

"Lenalee, are you okay?" Allen asked with a concerned tone.

Lenalee just couldn't seem to make herself answer. She always thought Allen was good looking, but then what kind of person thought a young sick boy could still be handsome. Apparently she did. Even when Allen was in the hospital during his battle with Neah, she thought he looked handsome. Those were under necessary circumstances, but she thought that him fighting to keep the love of his friends and newly acquired family safe was what made him handsome.

"Lenalee." A hand on her shoulder awoke her from her thoughts and it was then that she realized that she had zoned off while delivering Allen's soup. 'Oh my how even more embarrassing!' Upon looking around she found the hand on her shoulder was none other than Lavi.

"Hey, you going to give Allen his soup, or are you just going to stand there look and pretty?" Lavi grinned and waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Lenalee. That earned him a stomp on the foot from one of her high heels.

"Hey it was a joke!" Lavi muttered under his breath while hopping on one foot.

"Didn't sound like it to me!" Lenalee hissed at Lavi.

Lenalee made her way over to Allen, and blushed even more when she saw him gazing at her. She couldn't help but to gaze into those blue-silver pools and feel herself falling more in love with the boy in front of her. A blink broke the contact between Lenalee and Allen. That and Allen turned his head and suggested to Lavi that he go out and rest.

Allen was sure that Lavi was tired after staying up with him a good part of the night while he was sick. He was sure that was why he had slept as long as he did. Lavi however agreed after saying that he would take up night watch if Lenalee could handle afternoons.

"Yeah, I can take care of the afternoons. Maybe Allen and I will play cards if he feels up to it. No problem Lavi." Lenalee reassured Lavi that Allen would be just fine in her care.

After Lavi left, Lenalee sat on Allen's bed. She made Allen crawl back under his blankets so he wouldn't catch a chill (and so she wouldn't have to see him under-dressed), she then insisted that she would spoon-feed Allen his soup. Allen of course rolled his eyes and refused at first, muttering about how embarrassing that would be.

Lenalee however wouldn't take no for an answer and wouldn't give Allen the bowl or spoon. She knew Allen might be hungry, and if he was really wanting food he would eventually allow her to feed him (that and if she pulled out the puppy-pout with a dash of tears in the corner of her eyes). Eventually Allen agreed, however he was adamant that nobody but her would know that he allowed it.

Before feeding Allen, Lenalee insisted that he be sitting up with pillows keeping him propped up instead of lying down. Much to the dismay of the white haired exorcist he agreed if only to prevent Lenalee from getting mad at him, and to not jostle around so as to not stir up his motion sickness. He hoped the soup would sit well with his stomach, he didn't know if he would be able to take it if he threw up everything he ingested on the entirety of this trip.

"Okay, Allen. I want you to give this a taste test to make sure you like it before I force you to eat this. Alright?" Lenalee confirmed with Allen.

Lenalee wanted him to make sure his stomach would agree with the soup so as to not make him throw up any more than he wanted to. She scooped up a small amount and held it out to Allen. He leaned forward slightly and she held it up to his mouth where he sipped at the spoon. Upon swallowing the warm broth he smiled at Lenalee. He thought it tasted wonderful. Personally he thought that the cook who made this could actually rival Jerry. Lenalee put the spoon back in the bowl and held it in her lap.

"Okay, I want to wait a few minutes now to make sure that small taste test won't make you sick. So I hope you don't mind waiting. I would feel awful if you became sick after eating the entire bowl, or what you feel you can eat. Is that alright Allen?" Lenalee blushed slightly upon looking at Allen.

"Yeah that is fine with me Lenalee. I would rather like to know in the next few minutes whether I can stomach the broth or not before I inhale the entire bowl and find out the hard way." Allen grinned at Lenalee before gesturing to the girl to put the bowl on his nightstand. After the bowl was set down, Lenalee took her place back on Allen's bed.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, neither knowing what to say to the other. Allen looked at his hands and picked at a piece of loose thread on his blanket while Lenalee picked at the hem of her skirt and bit at her bottom lip. Allen raised his head and watched Lenalee and her nervous habits. He always thought she was a very beautiful girl, but to watch her chew on her lip only made him blush. He thought that her nervous habits were adorable. It made him wonder if he could ever find a girl who would love him despite his flaws. Making up his mind, Allen took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Lenalee!" Allen exclaimed. Even though he was seated in bed, he still managed a small bow to show how apologetic he was. Lenalee was startled by the sudden apology. She couldn't figure out what Allen was apologizing for. She wondered if he was apologizing for not being able to eat the remainder of the soup that she went to a lot of trouble to get. She went through a list of things that Allen could possibly be apologizing for, and none came to mind immediately.

"Why are you apologizing Allen? I don't understand what you would be saying sorry for." Lenalee touched Allen's shoulder gently easing him back up out of the bow.

"I am sorry about last night. I realize that my actions must have made you uncomfortable. I mean I slammed the door in your face and then when I returned I was lying about how I was feeling physically then you had to see me vomiting. If I could take it all back, I wouldn't have opened the door in the first place. I never thought that you and Lavi would be at the door. Then I created the burden of you going back to the cafeteria to retrieve crackers and tea. Then I couldn't even manage to keep those foods meant to soothe my stomach down. This ship ride was supposed to be viewed as a form of relaxation and now you and Lavi are working to take care of me. I just feel so embarrassed that this is even happening." Allen blurted out.

Again tears of shame came to Allen's eyes, and this time he did not even try to hold them back. He felt he could trust Lenalee. After all this girl was the first girl in his whole life who he has liked, dare say love. As the tears began to slip down his cheeks, he felt a warm presence envelope him. Opening his eyes, he found he was being hugged by his crush and what more was that he was enjoying being held in her arms. Wrapping his arms around Lenalee he returned the hug. Laying his head on her shoulder he felt more tears slip from his eyes. He felt so embarrassed.

"Allen, it's okay to be embarrassed. It happens to the best of us. As for last night, I don't care that you slammed the door in my face. I mean you were self-conscious about what was happening to you. I knew you were sick, I could see it in the way you held yourself. I mean, my first clue was that you had refused dinner. Not only that but don't worry about me seeing you sick. I was not disgusted by that. I felt bad for you yes, but like I said…it happens to the best of us. I l-care for you and hate seeing you feel so bad. If I could take away your motion sickness I would. I know it is not pleasant. After all my brother suffers from sea sickness too." Smiling Lenalee pulled out of the hug to get a look at Allen.

Allen refused to meet her gaze, and she used the tips of her fingers to lift his chin. Upon raising his head to look at her she used the pad of her thumb to gently brush away some of the tears coursing down his face. She grinned at him before leaning forward and placing a delicate kiss on his cheek. It worked in distracting him from his pity-party but it also reinforced for her what she was feeling for the boy sitting in front of her.

She was sure that what she felt for the boy was nothing short of love. Not the kind of love friends held for one another or what brothers and sister held. Nothing like the love that parents displayed for their children either. No she was sure the love she was feeling was the love felt between a man and a woman. Just seeing Allen's face light up was a sight to behold. He bestowed the goofy grin that he usually reserved for her and her alone. It made Lenalee's heart warm up at seeing that grin. She leaned in once more and kissed him again on the cheek, however it was more like right on the corner of his mouth.

Allen placed his fingers over the spot where she kissed him and blushed. Chancing a glance at Lenalee he saw that she was not just being playful. She had a wistful look adorning her face and it made Allen's heart thump loudly in his chest. He was sure Lenalee could hear it. He motioned for her to lean in closer before whispering in her ear.

"I l-care for you too." Before pulling away Allen placed a chaste kiss on Lenalee's cheek as well. Being able to see Lenalee's face light up brought a smile to Allen's face.

Lenalee placed her hand on her chest as if to try to steady her racing heart. It was then that she noticed that 15 minutes had passed and Allen was still doing okay physically. Breaking out of her wistful thoughts she leaned forward to grab the bowl of soup from the nightstand and was relieved to find it was still approximately the same temperature as when she had first brought it.

"Do you still feel up to eating Allen?" Lenalee inquired.

"Yeah, but I can feed myself if you'll let me." Allen grinned at Lenalee.

"Absolutely not Allen! Besides I want to feed you. Will you still let me?" Lenalee pouted at Allen. She knew if she pulled the puppy pout that he would not be able to resist its cuteness.

"Okay, you can feed me. But please don't tell anybody. Let's just keep this as our little secret." Allen whispered the last sentence while placing his index finger in front of his mouth to symbolize the necessary need for silence.

"MmHmm!" Lenalee grinned happily before mimicking Allen's movements while placing her finger in front of her lips. She even added the little lock and throws away the key action.

Scooping another spoonful of the broth she directed it to Allen who sipped it up and swallowed slowly. Lenalee repeated the same action several times until Allen began to rub at his stomach with some disdain. Apparently he had eaten too much. But he was not feeling sick, his stomach just hurt slightly. Lenalee placed the bowl back on the nightstand, and managed to keep Allen sitting up for another hour by convincing him to show her how to play poker. He was shocked by her want to learn but taught her none the less. After giving her a few lessons, they decided to play a few rounds. After 8 rounds of poker though, Allen began to feel the effects of having a full stomach.

He stifled a yawn before congratulating Lenalee on her wins. She had managed to beat Allen four times. He won four and so did she. When she questioned him on whether he was letting her win, he admitted that he was playing like he normally would. Ruthlessly. She had won because she had picked up on some of his skill. She was shocked herself. She didn't think that she had really won because of the skill at which Allen had taught her.

"Why don't you lay down Allen? You might feel better with some sleep." Lenalee suggested to Allen.

He readily accepted her suggestion, while stifling another yawn. However upon seeing and hearing him yawn, Lenalee wound up stifling a yawn of her own. Allen grabbed his playing cards and restacked them and placed them on his bedside table. Re-arranging his pillows so he could lay down, he grabbed Lenalee's wrist and directed her to lay on the bed with him. She lay on his left side as his right was where his waist-basket was should he get sick again. Laying her head on the same pillow as Allen's head they both fell into a deep slumber. Unbeknownst to the two that they held hands as they fluttered off to the world of dreams together.

The two did not hear the knock at the door nor did they hear the door open. In popped the fiery red head Lavi. He glanced around the room and took notice with a grin at his slumbering companions. He stepped into the room and snuck around to the right of Allen's bed. He retrieved the half eaten bowl of soup and before leaving grabbed the blanket he had used for his pallet the night prior to cover up his slumbering companions. With a final soft grin Lavi grabbed the bowl off the floor and made his way to the cafeteria to return said utensils. He now knew by simply observing his two friends that what they felt for each was more than just friends.

It was an emotion that Bookmen were not permitted to feel.

Love.


End file.
